Step 1: Choosing and Buying Tiles

Tiles are available in a huge range of colours, sizes and designs. Tiles can be Ceramic, Porcelain, Marble, terracotta, vinyl, glass, Travertin, granit, slate, cork or timber. As a rule, tile sizes are specified are in millimetres; eg. 100*100, 150*150, 200*150, 200*200, 250*200, 330*250, 400*300 mm. Refer to our Online Tiles Shop . Tiles are generally sold by the square metre, unless you are purchasing feature/tread/border tiles (see below).

The number of tiles you require will depend on the size of the area being tiled, with 10% extra allowed for breakages.
Don’t forget to buy extra tiles if you are using a complex pattern, and also as spares for future repairs/replacements.

• Special tiles:

- You can use border tiles for a more attractive finish to a plain tiled wall
- Add interest by introducing features (patterned) tiles between plain tiles
- Tread tiles are used for stairs and steps (for added grip)
- Bullnose tiles are used to finish off the tops of walls (around bathtubs), window seals, and the edges of benchtops

• Important considerations:

- If you intend to tile a ‘wet area’, you should choose slip–resistent tiles
- If you are using tiles in high traffic areas, choose tiles that have a high abrasion index
- If you are using tiles for outdoors, ensure that tiles are water proofed
- Do not use wall tiles on floors or floor tiles on walls

How to calculate the size of the area being tiled?

Multiply the width of the area to be tiled by the height (for a wall area) or by the length (for a floor area).
From the total area, minus the area that will not need tiling ie. under fixed cupboards / units, shower bases, windows etc.

How many tiles would I need?

Use the table below to calculate the number of tiles you will need depending on the size of the tile you chose and the size of the area being tiled*. Add an extra 10% is normally allowed for to cover breakages. More tiles may be required if your tiling area includes a large number of special cuts (around doorways or fixtures etc.) and/or has a complex layout pattern.